Dick : The Movie

A few weeks ago I had the awesome opportunity of being on the set of Dick: the movie. My friend asked me to come and do some background, which you usually don’t do for free unless you’re starting out and need the experience, but friends are an exception. And really, I would rather be on set, in any capacity, than almost anywhere else.

I was prepared to get there and hang out in the background, watch some acting, maybe meet some new people. The friend in question, Danny Malin, is someone I had wanted to work with eventually, so I thought it would also be an opportunity to see how he works as a director.

It turns out that I was right, but also very wrong. I did get to watch some incredible acting, and met a few new people, but most of the cast was people I already knew to be awesome. And I did not hang around in the background. True, I didn’t speak, but I was not once treated like an extra. I was even included in a behind the scenes interview thing, which I had not been expecting, and would have better prepared for if I had known. As it is, I’m not sure if I made any sense, but it was my first time being interviewed, so I probably spent most of it nervously laughing.

Once I wasn’t needed for my background skills anymore, I offered to be on book as a semi-script supervisor. Call me crazy, but as I said, I would rather be on set than almost anywhere, and if I am on set, I would rather be doing something, learning and contributing than doing nothing.

It was an incredible experience and I learnt so much on this set, not just by watching everyone work, but by talking to them. I am so glad that I got to be a part of this project. Everyone was so welcoming, and I hope to get to work with them again. And again. And again.